A headteacher has been singled out for exceptional praise by Government inspectors.

Didcot Girls' School, a large comprehensive which enjoys language college status, has been highly praised by inspectors from Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education).

Their report said the school "works very effectively in engaging girls in learning, broadening their horizons and giving them the self-confidence to exploit the rich variety of opportunities".

The inspectors said: "One of the many strengths of the school is in cultivating a climate where everybody is expected to do well.

"The dynamic leadership of the headteacher promotes high expectations and high levels of attainment."

The Ofsted report said headteacher Jeannette Hebbert's high expectations and strongly-held beliefs were infectious and underpinned the ethos of the school.

She provided "the impetus for hard work and the culture of success that pervades the school", the inspectors added.

Through her leadership, staff developed well and the school was effective because of a strong team and with secure management structures, according to inspectors.

GCSE results showed similar improvement to the national trend, although results had been well above average compared to other schools, the report said.

"The average points score is high and the proportion of girls achieving at least one GCSE examination is very much better than in other schools," it added.

Parents whose views were canvassed by inspectors commented on Mrs Hebbert's strong leadership and said their daughters were expected to work hard.

Mrs Hebbert said: "Our success is due to the high level of commitment of our staff to all pupils, their desire and motivation to learn and our close partnership with our families."

The chairman of governors, John Francis, said they were delighted with the report, which he felt reflected the dedication and hard work by Mrs Hebbert and the staff at all levels.